LINCOLN PRECISION TIG 225 K2535-1

What is the min. and max. thickness this welder can accomplish?On most common metals...........Like what is the max thickness it could weld aluminum? and.........the min.? How is this determined?Thanks for your help! I can get this welder for about $1900.00 would that be a good deal?

LINCOLN PRECISION TIG 225 REVIEW
I just bought a PT 225 and I thought I would share my thoughts of the machine for anyone looking at it as well.

For months now I have shopped and drooled over several TIG machines. I asked many people what they thought and I mostly heard, "You have to buy Red" or "You have to buy Blue", "NASCAR uses these", "EAA uses those" and so on! The problem I had was, I didn't really care about all that. I wish I did. It would have made my decision much easier, but I am not really a brand loyal guy. I want value. As a matter of fact, my last truck was a Ford and I now drive a GMC. So truly I am not loyal.

I own a Synchrowave but does that mean thats all I can shop??? Of course not! This is America!
I loved my Synchrowave but lately I needed something larger. I have recently started doing more and more with aluminum projects. I wanted a TIG welder that had enough power to routinely do 1/8" to 1/4" aluminum and not break a sweat. Like most hobbyists, I also am on a budget. Even though I save a ton of money building things myself, I had to set a limit. That meant the Dynasty and Invertec were out! So was the Synchrowave 250 and the Precision TIG 275.

I finally settled on the Precision TIG 225! I purchased it from Harris Welding Supply in Monroe Oh. They were the cheapest on the web by several hundred dollars and offered free shipping. I emailed the store on a Saturday even though they were closed I got a response within a few hours. Tod, "The owner" offered a further discount if I picked it up. When I called a few days later, he answered all my questions about all the machines I was comparing. When I got there, Tod had shirts waiting for my son and I and assisted me with a problem I was having with my plasma cutter. Its a brand they didn't sell but he still worked with me, solved my problem and threw in a free inline filter for my plasma. WOW!!! That kind of service is hard to find! Well worth the long drive. Thanks Tod, we will be back!!!

I got the PT home and I was pleasantly surprised. All of the components were high quality and went together with ease. In 10 minutes I was ready to weld. The torch even comes with a collet, tungsten and cup. I opted to stay with my favorite gas lens but a nice touch. The cart is a show stopper. Very sturdy and only an inch off the ground so no lifting of the bottle. I liked this especially because I run a very large argon bottle. I attached the pre-connected safety chain, connected the regulator, pedal and torch and I was off and welding.

My first weld was on .100 aluminum. I had scrap left over from a project that I just completed with my Synchrowave 180. I made a console for my boat using 3/32, 2% lanthanated tungsten and 20 CFH argon and 125A .
I used the same settings for my new PT and to my surprise I burned right through the metal. I found that this machine consistently welds much hotter and with only 80A. I looked at the set up guide and it confirmed what I just found out. The PT welds hotter. I repeated the same weld using the pulser, and what an effortless weld.

While trying a corner, lap and butt, I noticed it did an equally good job. I saw my tungsten starting to blue a little and bumped up my post flow from 15 to 17 CFH with the touch of the knob and problem solved. New tungsten stayed grey. This machine holds a really tight arc even down to 10A. I am sure it would hold tight lower if I switched too smaller tungsten.
The next weld I tried I used the pulser. If you haven't used on before they are really cool. It really helps a new TIG welder make the "Stacked dimes" effect with a simple lay wire technique. Just match your pulses to your travel speed and you look like a pro. Next tried a fusion weld on .125 steel at 20 Pulses Per Second. It made perfect little ripples crowning the edge just right. A quick buff with the flap disk and HOLA, a perfect corner.

I moved to stainless. I was very pleased with the control I was able to maintain. With in the first inch of my first weld, I was able to get great penetration and keep the edge darkening to a minimum. Routinely I was only getting color changes out to 1/4 inch off the bead. Pretty good for 1/8 inch stainless.

So far I am very happy with my purchase. I think it is of good quality and very easy to use. All of the controls are well placed. The components are well made and appear to be able to withstand years of use. The storage drawer is ok. If it were a few inches taller it would be great. It is plenty big enough to store the pedal and a few other items. I keep all of my extra TIG supplies in a small toolbox and I was bummed it didn't fit in the drawer. The cart is terrific and I cant say enough about it. The post flow control is great. You can adjust it very quickly with the turn of a knob. No change of menus or screens. When I researched this machine, I read a lot of welders worried about the duty cycle. I have to admit, I was a little concerned too. What I found was that the PT 225 welds hotter. Consistently 20-30 amps hotter than my Synchrowave. This means that the duty cycle scale is a little misleading. Compound this with 230 amps available, I think there is plenty of power for anything I am going to build for a long time. The "A/C Auto Balance" it probably the best welding option the PT has. Even being the control freak that I am, somethings are really better left to the technology inside. It produces the nicest welds with no extra frost. The pulser I could take or leave. A nice option for beginners who never learned to "Pulse the Pedal". For everyone else its like having an electric can opener. Some say its the greatest, others say it takes longer than doing it manually. Either way it is cool. I prefer to use the pedal but I see that attraction. I also use a manual can opener soooo you be the judge. The top of the machine has a small storage spot thats about 7.25 x 4 x 3. The special part of this is that it has 2 cup holders on top. The cup holders are a nice touch. I gave the cup holders a real work out. I tried them with dark roasted coffee in the morning and beer in the afternoon. I especially like the way they worked with a few Saranac IPAs in the heat of the day.

I hope this review helps someone who is looking to make the same move I did. It is free of any brand bias ( Except for the beer ). I looked at a few of the imported inverters but they appeared cheaply made too me. Although I didn't weld with them, my first impression led me back to the home grown machines. I think that both Lincoln and Miller make great equipment as I own both. I think that it really comes down to personal preference and maybe even a little ergonomics of controls. If you are looking to buy a mid sized TIG machine and cant afford an inverter, I highly recommend the Lincoln Precision TIG 225. It has a ton of power and features that lets me enjoy welding even more than I did before.

Ceriated 2% - Best for DCEN Welding, Low++ to Mid Amperage (Steel, Stainless Steel), great for small parts;

Lanthanated 2% - Best for DCEN but performs well on AC, Low to High Amperage, holds up well to Pulsing, best where numerous re-ignitions with short weld cycles occur, resists contamination well, starts easily;

Zirconiated - Best for AC, balls the end of the electrode well, more stable arc than Pure Tungsten (EWP), resists contamination, better current carrying and arc starting then EWP, worst non-radioactive tungsten from a performance standpoint

Pure Tungsten - AC only, used on Aluminum and Magnesium, Mid range Amperage, difficult to start, difficult to produce a stable arc, temperature at tip is greater causing grain growth, short service life, use Zirconiated instead;

TRI-MIX - Based on a Thoriated doped tungsten, I will not use a Radioactive tungsten;

Sep 27, 2012

Fantastic Quality for Cost and FeaturesNEWby: Anonymous

VERY easy to set up and get on with welding. Great for a beginner, too, as you do not have too many whistles and bells to distract you off into trouble.

Cost, plus quality of the internal components make this machine a bargain. Now have a second one. First one purchased in 2006. Some projects need two of us going at the same time. Since the "old" one was always covered when not in use, it still looks great.

Very happy with the investments. Would do the same again and can highly recommend the PT225 to anyone either new, or experienced.

Sep 10, 2012

Precision Tig 185NEWby: Anonymous

Since buying this welder I have not been impressed with the quality of the torch. My gas line dry rotted and the torch gets too hot. Has anyone had any luck getting a higher power torch for this welder?
Wish I had gone with the Miller Square wave.

The precision tig 225 is usually limited to about 1/4 inch aluminum but it also depends on the joint configuration and the length of welds. You can weld aluminum much thicker than 1/4 inch if you are welding out near the edge where the the heat only has one avenue to diffuse through the aluminum base metal. On the other hand a T-joint fillet with complex corners will conduct the heat away from the weld much more rapidly. Also keep in mind the duty cycle is only 10% at 225 amps so you are not going to be able make long T-joint fillets on thick material without stopping to allow the machine to cool down. In a pinch you can add some helium to the shielding gas to get more heat into the weld on thick sections.

Apr 27, 2010

ok great ????????by: joe

Ok great.......Thanks Jody...........

So this machine would handle aluminum thats .08...or .100 like typical aluminum boats are made from...no problem?
Another ?.........What are the gages of these two ... .08 and .100 in aluminum? Doesn't gage mean something other than thickness?